Using lichen as bioindicator of air pollution: Acid deposition Monitoring and Assessment Third country Training pptx

* Fruticose lichens are the most sensitive: Lichens are differently sensitive to air pollution * They are the first group to disappear from polluted areas Lichens are differently sensit

Using lichen as bioindicator of

air pollution

Presented at

JFY 2003

Acid deposition Monitoring and Assessment

Third country Training

by :

Dr Kansri Boonpragob Department of Biology Ramkhamhaeng University

Brief history of using lichens as

bioindicator of air pollution

‘ Other air pollutants, NO x , O 3 , heavy

metals, HF, organic pollutants,

caused disappearance of lichens

from cities & industrial areas

’ In 1866 it was noted that lichens

disappeared from Jardin de Luxembourg

* Lichens have been used as bioindicator

of air pollution world wide

Background : What are lichens ?

• Lichens are epiphyte

• They live on surfaces of bark, rock, soil and several substrates

* Lichens depend on atmospheric moisture : rain , fog &

dew for growth

* Lichens are sensitive to

* Fruticose lichens are the most sensitive:

Lichens are differently sensitive to air pollution

* They are the first group to disappear from polluted areas

Lichens are differently sensitive to air pollution

* Foliose lichens are the second group to

disappear from polluted area

• Some of them thrive well in the polluted cities

These are

Lichens are differently sensitive to air pollution

Crustose lichens are the most resistance to air pollution

* In Bangkok : 7 species have been recorded

* In Europe : Lecanora conizoides

How to use lichens as bioindicator of

air pollution & acid deposition

2 Physiology changes: changes in chlorophyll

content & photosynthesis at various air qualities

Æ fast response

There are two alternative methods:

1 Community changes: changes in species

composition at different levels of pollution

Æ slow response

Lichen Community changes

* Identify species of the lichens

* Change in species composition of lichens at

different levels of pollution

* Explore lichens at various distances i.e 1 km, 5 km, 20

km, 50, 100, 300 etc km around sources of pollution :

cities, industrial plants

Transect showing that the number of lichens growing on the tops of

sandstone walls, on asbestos roofs, and on ash trees decline as

New Castle is approached from the west (From Gilbert 1965)

Sand stone

Roof

Ash tree

Relative cover and biomass of two lichen species on ash trees along an east –

west transect to the west of New Castle, England (From Gilbert, 1969)

Sa nd

st on e

Roo f

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 23 25 54 57 66

4.2

pH

0 1 1.7 3 4.7 6 6.5 7 8 9 9.5 10.5 12.5 14.5 16.5

19

Distan

ces

(miles)

pH from bark of ash trees and lichen covers along distance from the city

of New Castle to the west

A transect from Bangkok to Khao yai National Park

shows four lichen collecting localities

Bangkok

Urban

Rajamongkol Inst Tech Sub urban

Phra tamnak temple, Nakornnayok

Rural

Khao yai National Park Remote

A transect from Bangkok to Khao yai National Park to explore

lichen communities on 20 trees at each collecting site

Phra tamnak Temple

Rajamongkol Inst.

Kasetsart Univ.

Lichens found in polluted cities in England

Trypethelium tropicum

Species composition of lichen changes

from the city to rural area

Transect from inner city to suburb

and rural area indicated that

number of species increase with

distance away from the city

concentration

Ambient SO 2 concentration and air quality index as indicates by presences of

lichen communities in England (Hawksworth and Ross, 1970)

Hypogymnia physoides and/or Parmelia saxatilis, or P

sulcataappear on the bases but not extend up the trunks.

Lecidia scalaris, Lecanora expellens and Chaenotheca

4 ~ 70

Lecanora conizaeoidesextends up the trunk; Leparia incana

become frequent on the base

L amplissima, L scorbiculata, Sticta limbata, Panaria spp., Usnea articulata, U filipendula, Teloschistes flavicans,abundant

10 ~ pure

Lobaria pulmonaria, L amplissima, Pachyphiale cornea, Dimerella lutea or Usnea floridawith crustose > 25 species

Ambient SO2 concentration and air quality index as

indicates by presences of lichen communities in England

(Hawksworth and Ross, 1970)

ภาพ porter Lichens & air pollution

ของ British museum

• Lichens are identified based on morphology,

anatomy and chemical substances

Identify lichen species

•Assessing the effects of air pollution on community

change need to identify lichens at the species level

•Taxonomy of lichens is fundamental back ground

needed

Assessing the effects of air pollution

from physiological & biochemical

Lichen composes of algae & fungi living in symbiosis

Lichens do not harm the substrates they attacked

to produce organic matter.

* Algae can photosynthesis produces organic matter.

6CO 2 + 12H 2 O + light chlorophyll C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 + 6H 2 O

How air pollution damages plants and lichens

If chlorophyll is destroyed by acid pollutants,

plant produces less 0 M → reduce growth,

lost protective function against insect & pest

→ death

Chlorophyll is in important organelle function in absorbing light energy for photosynthesis producing organic matter.

Comparing leaves damage by SO 2 and normal

Acid & heavy metals destroy chlorophyll

Insight of how air pollution damages plants

and lichens (at cellular level )

z H 2 SO 4 & HNO 3 enter the leaf via opening stomata

Lichens are advantage over vascular plants

have no wax & cuticle to protect cells (inner structure)

Cortex:

fungal layer

Absorbtion spetrum of chlorophyll & phaeophytin

and mixture of Chl & Phaeophytin in DMSO.

Prepared from the lichen Ramalina menziesii.

y = -122.91x + 150.26

R 2 = 0.97

40 60 80 100

Standard curve for estimation the degradation of chlorophyll into phaeophytin.

Prepared from the lichen Ramalina nervulosa from Khao yai National Park

I n summer chlorophyll at the

polluted site declined and

phaeophytin increased Finally,

the lichens at the polluted site

die after chlorophyll completely

degraded In the wet season

chlorophyll of the lichens at

both sites remained.

The lichen Ramalina menziesii

was transplanted from a

forest out side San Diego

(control site) to Los Angeles

(polluted site).

Lichens & Air pollution

in Los Angeles

Chlorophyll content and

percent phaeophytin from

the transplanted lichens at

both sites were measured.

Lichens & Air pollution

in Los Angeles

NO 3 - and NH 4 leached

from the lichen Ramalina

menziesii collected from

the control site (outside

San Diego) and polluted

site in Los Angeles

SO 4 2- and PO 4 3- leached

from the lichen Ramalina

menziesii collected from

the control site (outside

San Diego) and polluted

site in Los Angeles

Lichens & Air pollution

in Los Angeles

Chlorophyll content of the

lichen Ramalina menziesii

at the polluted site had high

correlation with the amount

of NO 3 - accumulated in the

thallus (r = 0.94)

Chlorophyll content at the

Lichens & Air pollution

in Los Angeles

along transect Between

Bangkok Khao Yai National

Park

S content of Parmelia saxatilis from

different part of the Tyne valley

225 569

1420 2870

3290

S content

(ppm)

21 8

6.25 4.5

65 600

57 2.36

283 15

100 4.12

33 600

(%) Pn

(mg CO 2 g -1 h -1 )

Pb content (µg g -1 )

Distances from motor way (km) Lichens

Evernia prunestri

Lichen biodiversity index &

™ Lichens provide warning signal

Conclution

Thank you

for your

attention

www.ru.ac.th/lichen